IRNCLAM – InteRNational CisLunar Ascension Module

Brian AndersonASTE5272010/11/23

Background

Requirement: commercial development of ISS

Solution: send tourists to Moon on Earth-Moon transport

ISS to exist for ~10 more yearsuse existing tech for cislunar transport

Concept

Launch tourists & astronauts to ISS Depart ISS in Cislunar Transfer

Vehicle Insert into Lunar orbit, stay few days Return to ISS Return to Earth

Vehicle Design

Cislunar Transfer Vehicle 4x Centaur TLI stages Sundancer “habitation module” Radiation hardened for SPEs

Habitation Module – Bigelow Sundancer

Pros Much MORE VOLUME for SIMILAR MASS as other

space vehicles Designed with comfort in mind Existing ballistic protection + radiation shielding ECLSS as well as hygiene facilities Good exterior viewing possibilities

Cons: Large surface areamore mass for addt’l

radiation hardening

Additional Radiation Hardening 5 g/cm^2 to protect against worst

case SPE Al, LiOH, Polyethylene or H20 (last two

best) Sundancer Area~=2.35x10^6 cm^2 Rad shield mass~=11700kg Assuming Sundancer already has

shielding equivalent to 2 g/cm^2 Rad shield mass~=7000kg

TLI – Centaur Upper Stage

Pros Repeatedly flight tested design High Isp

Cons Propellant mass could be higher for such

a mission

Stack Design

Requried V = 2x(3700 m/s)=7400 m/s

Requires 4xCentaur stages!! Payload Mass = 15’600 kg

Sundancer + Rad shield Total Propellant Mass = 83’320 kg Total Mass = 107.9 Metric Tons Achieved V=7429 m/s

IRNCLAM

Centaur Centaur CentaurCentaur Sundancer

Merits & Limitations Merits

Uses existing designs Designed with passenger experience in

mind Designed for space-only use, no mass for

heat shield Limitations

LARGE TLI stack due to Earth Orbit Injection and ISS docking

~14 days with no gravity

Future Studies

Use water supply for radiation shielding?

Direct Earth Reentry to reduce stack size?

J2-X better option for TLI?

References Wertz, James R. Space Mission Analysis and

Design. Dordrecht [u.a.: Kluwer Academic Publ., 2008. Print.

Bigelow Aerospace http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/sundancer.php

Bernabeu, J., and I. Casanova. "Geant4-based Radiation Hazard Assessment for Human Exploration Missions." Advances in Space Research 40.9 (2007): 1368-380. Print.